Ads Redirect Attribute

The ads_redirect attribute allows you to specify additional landing page parameters and tracking URLs specifically for your Shopping campaigns. By submitting this attribute, customers clicking on your ads will be routed through this URL rather than the standard link or mobile_link URLs.

Using this attribute correctly is essential for campaign measurement. It enables advanced tracking through ValueTrack parameters without directly hardcoding them into your primary product URLs, keeping your core product data clean.

⚠️ Platform Differences: Pinterest Products does not use ads_redirect; instead, it requires a specific tracking attribute. For Pinterest, please seead_link. Facebook Products, Tiktok Products, andReddit Products do not support a dedicated tracking URL attribute; you must append your UTM or third-party tracking parameters directly to the standard link attribute.

Contents:

• Online Validator
• Platform Comparison
• General Requirements
• Formatting Examples

Quick Syntax Check

Paste your <g:ads_redirect> XML snippet or CSV value below to validate the format:

Platform Requirements Comparison

Each platform handles tracking links differently. See the table below for strict platform-specific support.

General Formatting Requirements

To ensure your tracking URLs process successfully without causing product disapprovals in Google Merchant Products, adhere to the following rules:

• Parallel Tracking Compliance: The domain of your ads_redirect URL must exactly match the domain of your link andmobile_link attributes. Using third-party redirect domains directly in this field will result in tracking loss or disapproval.
• Valid URL Format: The URL must begin with http or https and be fully compliant with RFC 3986. Only ASCII characters are permitted.
• Avoid Hard Redirects: Avoid pointing this attribute to a separate redirect server that bounces the user before loading the page. This increases load time and harms user experience. Use Google Ads tracking templates instead.
• ValueTrack Parameters: If your tracking URL contains parameters, utilize accepted ValueTrack parameters (e.g., {ifmobile:m}). The URL must resolve into a valid path after parameter expansion.
• Vehicle Ads Constraint: If you are using Vehicle Ads for in-store vehicle fulfillment, you must include the {store_code} ValueTrack parameter in the ads_redirect URL.

Formatting Examples

XML Feed Format

Correct Formatting: The URL uses a matching domain to the main link and correctly escapes the ampersand (&) as required by XML standard.

<g:link>https://www.example.com/product?id=123</g:link>
<g:ads_redirect>https://www.example.com/product?id=123&amp;utm_source=google</g:ads_redirect>

Incorrect Formatting: Using a third-party tracking domain directly in the ads_redirect attribute violates parallel tracking rules. This must be handled via Google Ads tracking templates instead.

<g:link>https://www.example.com/product?id=123</g:link>
<!-- Incorrect: The domain does not match the link domain -->
<g:ads_redirect>https://tracking.example-tracker.com/click?url=example.com/product</g:ads_redirect>

CSV / TSV Feed Format

When providing tracking parameters in CSV files, the URL does not require XML escaping, but standard URL encoding applies.

Correct Formatting: The domains match perfectly, allowing parallel tracking to execute safely.

id,title,link,ads_redirect
1234,T-Shirt,https://www.example.com/product,https://www.example.com/product?utm_source=google

Incorrect Formatting: The tracking URL uses an external tracking domain mismatching the link attribute, which will trigger an error.

id,title,link,ads_redirect
1235,Hoodie,https://www.example.com/product,https://tracking-portal.com/redirect?id=1235